Pizza Hut replacing Papa John's as NFL sponsor

Pizza Hut's partnership with the NFL begins April 1, with opportunity to market the 2018 NFL draft.

Author:
Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY Sports

Published:02/28/18

A day after Papa John's and the NFL ended their sponsorship deal three years early in a mutual decision, Pizza Hut became the league's replacement.

The NFL announced Wednesday that Yum! Brands' Pizza Hut will be the official pizza of the league.

Pizza Hut's partnership with the NFL begins April 1, with an opportunity to market the 2018 NFL draft that runs April 26-28. The company is the biggest pizza chain in the country with 7,500 locations — twice as many locations as Papa John's. Pizza Hut can use NFL tickets and "unique fan experiences" for games in its marketing. Terms of the deal were not yet disclosed, although the league said it was for multiple years.

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In a joint statement Tuesday, Papa John's and the league said they had made a mutual decision to end their official league sponsorship, a little less than four months after former CEO John Schnatter blamed NFL protests during the national anthem for declining sales. Schnatter resigned from his role of CEO at the end of 2017.

New Papa John's CEO Steve Ritchie said on an earnings call Tuesday that Papa John's will continue to play a role on NFL game days. Papa John’s still has team partnerships with more than 20 NFL franchises, although the company will no longer be allowed to use team or league logos or use the Super Bowl in promotions.